Orlando gay neighborhood
Gay Orlando
-------------------------------------
Thanks in large part to Walt Disney's vision (and his secret plan to acquire up great swaths of central Florida back in the late '50s), Orlando is now known around the globe as one of the country's superior vacation destinations.
But Orlando is no longer a Mickey Mouse organization. Today there are dozens of theme parks in the metropolitan area, focusing on everything from sea creatures to medieval knights to biblical tales, all competing to provide fun in the sun to the millions who arrive here.
There are literally dozens of gay-friendly resorts, hotels and B&Bs located in and around the urban area. This lively and growing cultural community and vibrant gay bar and club scene was shaken ill by the June 2016 shootings at Pulse, but people pulled together, providing support and raising millions of dollars for survivors and victims' families.
Some gay travelers come for the theme parks too, especially in the spring. That's when red-shirted gays take over Disney Earth and other parks as part of Gay Days. But even if a ride on Space Mountain isn't part of your plans, there's more than enough to
Dance the night away with high-energy Gay nightclubs, performing arts and late-night eateries in the downtown Orlando area (‘Heart’ mural by Kim Murphy in the Mills 50® district pictured).
Colorful, inclusive and welcoming to all, Orlando invites you to rejoice and love yourself with LGBTQ+ friendly nightspots in downtown Orlando and beyond. Options range from laid-back urban wineries and patisseries to dazzling nightclubs with some of the city’s best drag shows and burlesque performances for a choose-your-own-adventure story you won’t soon forget.
Additional reporting by Lily Denneen.
Discover: LGBTQ+ Orlando Journey Guide
Orlando vacation planning made easy — and free. Construct a complimentary appointment with Visit Orlando’s Vacation Planners at a time and date of your choosing for the latest insider counsel, special offers and more ahead of your next visit.
Nightclubs, Bars & Acting Arts
Southern Nights in The Milk District
Southern Nights
Voted Orlando Weekly’s Best Gay Block for five years and counting, and the largest of its kind in Orlando, Southern Nights is a vibrant nightc
Miniver was her actual first identify but she went by her middle name, Sue. All the way back in 1983 the woman known to most as Sue Hanna opened Orlando’s first lesbian bar called Faces.
Faces was situated in the Lee Rd.-Edgewater Dr. area just a stone’s throw from the currently operating Hank’s. Sue would later reveal a much larger, multi-level, multi-bar entertainment complex known as Key Largo which was situated way up the Orange Blossom Mark just south of Apopka. Both of Sue’s bars operated primarily as gathering spots for homosexual women. For years men were routinely barred from entering Faces while Key Largo provided a more welcoming space for all members of Orlando’s burgeoning queer community. Actor-producer David Lee as well as Theater Downtown proprietor Frank Hilgenberg presented many fully produced shows in the barn-shaped Key Largo.
I have many fond memories connected with both of Sue’s spaces — neither of which are operational today — and it strikes me how few people who currently like mingling with a healthy mix of persons represented by every letter of the LGBTQ+ moniker — at one of the very few remaining specifically homosexual bars remaining in town — have no knowledge of so
Gay Orlando: The Town Beautiful – A Magical Place to Call Home
When many people think of Orlando, they often think of its many tourist destinations – Disney Planet, Universal Studios, Sea World, and other vacation hotspots – and truly, Orlando is one of the most accepted tourist destinations in the world. Beyond its appeal to tourists, however, Orlando is also a wonderful place to call home. It is a diverse community, rich in culture and occupied of unique neighborhoods where everyone can find their place.
Orlando – A Swift Look at the History
Orlando’s history dates back to the Second Seminole War in the tardy 1830s, when the U.S. Army built Fort Gatlin just south of present-day Orlando to defend settlers from the Native Americans. A segment of the population remained in the area and grew after the end of the war until Orlando was officially incorporated in 1875. Orlando continued to increase steadily since that time, particularly after Disney World and other theme parks were started there, now making it the third biggest city in Florida, and one of the world’s premiere vacation destinations.
A Not many Fun Facts About Orlando
- Part of what makes